Shopping Pick: Raise a Glass

April may be the cruellest month, but May has its share of dilemmas. Chief among them: finding a gift for the college graduate. This week, Patricia Marx offers a range of ideas, from classic (luggage, cufflinks), to cutting-edge (a record of your grad’s genetic heritage). Consider a bottle of wine, produced the same year as the class of 2010. If the 1989 Chateau Haut-Brion seems too extravagant, there is an alternative. Marx writes, “As more than one valedictorian has observed, on the journey through life it is important to follow your bliss, to strive for excellence, to trust your instincts, and to exit through the rear of the auditorium. For those who also dare to dream, there’s the idealistic book ‘1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die.’ ”

Art by Arnold Roth.

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